Our Beloved “Happy Fruit” Lydia Sum 1. Introduction the Shanghai-Born Entertainer Joined the Local Show Scene at a Young
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Our Beloved “Happy Fruit” Lydia Sum 1. Introduction The Shanghai-born entertainer joined the local show scene at a young age and enjoyed a glittering career spanning more than four decades. Many of her actions and thoughts were captured by the camera. Starting off with small parts, she played young maidservants, school girls, factory girls, newly weds, stay-at-home mums and mothers-in-law – the numerous roles she played grew through the generations. Her accomplishments as TV programme hostess and mistress of ceremonies are just as extraordinary, earning her affectionate nicknames such as “Sister Fei”, “Happy Fruit” and “Champion MC”. Her life not only reflects the development of show business in Hong Kong, but also depicts how the local generation who grew up in the post-war period struggled to succeed. Artistes are intertwined with social culture: they act as an interactive medium between popular culture and the public. Pursuing the many inter-relations of popular culture, we interviewed Lydia’s family in Canada and also her friends and work colleagues in Hong Kong. We also searched in libraries and archives for texts, images and sounds that could identify Sum’s various personas in the public eye. We explored the cultural manifestation of her unique iconic status dating back to the 1960s. 2. Happy Fruit Going to the cinema was a major form of entertainment in the 1960s. Amusing themes were all the rage as they helped to ease the harsh realities of life. The audience could relax and enjoy laughing at comedians such as Lydia Sum, Cheng Kwan-min, Tam Ping-man on the big screen. It was at this time that Lydia sowed the seeds for her “Happy Fruit” through the various roles she played. After joining TVB, the media began to refer to her as the “Happy Fruit”. As television sets became a standard item in local homes in the 1970s, watching TV programmes soon took over as a favourite pastime. The variety show EYT met the general demand for an enjoyable dose of entertainment to round off a hard day’s work. Actors brought a spark to the show, and Lydia really stood out. Whether she was acting in comic sketches or performing as one of the “Four Golden Flowers”, Lydia delivered a sense of happiness. Sum’s signature snigger was heard constantly in variety shows and her “Happy Fruit” image took off. Her laughter always rang out loud and clear in all the shows in which she appeared. She was always there to cheer on her co-performers and liven up the proceedings. Lydia was a versatile artiste: she played different roles on TV and in films, and she hosted an array of programmes. All these roles strengthened her image as the “Happy Fruit”, while her own cheerful qualities in turn enriched this same image. The stars and friends who took part in Fei Fei Inviting All Guests, Happy and Fun Concert in 2000 are walking proof of how the “Happy Fruit” thrived and enjoyed a great deal of success. Over the past 40 years, Lydia’s shrill laughter could be heard in every corner of Hong Kong. Her “Happy Fruit” image flourished, with the happy seeds which she sowed, becoming a source of positive energy for the working public. 1 Lydia Sum in a comedy sketch in EYT. Stage costume 1970s 2000 Worn by Lydia Sum in her Fei Fei Inviting All Guests, Happy and Fun Concert 3. Fei Fei (Fatty) For the older generation, times were often harsh and material resources were scarce. Chubbiness was therefore looked upon as a good thing. Lydia auditioned at the Shaw Brothers (HK) Limited for a child actor part in 1960. Seeing the potential in Lydia’s chubby yet sharp stature, film director Yueh Feng signed her up. In 1967 when TVB opened, Robert Chua recommended the naturally agile Lydia for the role of hostess for the variety show EYT. She began to be known as “Fei Fei” (Fatty). Her humorous acting, as well as her singing and dancing in “Lover’s Duet” and the “Four Golden Flowers” all revealed her creativity, performing talent and deftness. “Fei Fei”, a nickname without prejudice, spread quickly among her work colleagues, friends, the audience and the media. While Lydia’s “fatty” image was a source of cinematic amusement, it was more often an incarnation of a highly acrobatic performer. In addition to the “swords and blades” stunts on EYT, Lydia also demonstrated her ballet skills and even did the splits at the Po Leung Kuk Charity Gala Fundraising Event (1981). In TVB Anniversary Show 1987, viewers were excited yet amazed by Lydia’s hard training and adept skills as she walked up stacks of eggs and pushed herself through a hula-hoop. Over the years, Lydia Sum has been seen as a person who strived to achieve a breakthrough: a “fatty” who was agile and nimble; a gem of a different sort in a world that praises skinniness. Together with her signature dark-rimmed glasses and owl-like bouffant hairstyle, Lydia’s lively “fatty” image will always be remembered. 2 Glasses Wig 1990s 2007 Lydia Sum began wearing glasses when she Lydia Sum liked this full wig for was in Primary Six. This pair of dark-rimmed its convenience. glasses were frequently worn by Lydia Sum. 4. Shi-nai (Family Woman) Older generations would refer to women with children as “shi-nai”(family woman). Based on the traditional notion that “men make money and women look after the home”, “shi- nai's” played a crucial role in every family. They took care of the house, home-schooled the children and even helped to take care of the neighbour’s children if necessary. The term “shi- nai” was also used as an affectionate form of address in friendly neighbourhoods. From the 1980s, the term “shi-nai” has been added with contents. It came to be used to describe those who sought petty gains and quick fortunes. In the films Three Flowers of the Factory (1967), Four Gentlemanly Flowers (1968) and Lovely Husbands (1969), Lydia played a factory girl, a teenage girl and a young married woman, respectively. Her roles changed with age, just as she did. She also took on parts as a “shi-nai” in films such as It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad World (1987). These roles were an extension of her portrayal of the rapid- fire chatterbox image, depicted when playing the “Shanghai woman”, and at the same time, a reflection of the redefined “shi-nai” under economic advances – a woman who is fiercely protective of her family, demanding of her husband and children and longing for quick fortunes. The economic downturn of Hong Kong during the millennium formed the backdrop to TV dramas such as A Recipe for the Heart (1997) and Slim Chances (2002). Lydia played a mother who persevered in pursuing her career and mentored her children in a unique way to enable them to face adversity and flourish in hard times. Life is like a drama. The topic of “shi-nai” has been an essential theme in films and TV dramas. However society changes, and whatever new definition is given to the term, “shi- nai's” are still critical members of the family. They are stern but kind; they nag but they are meticulous; they worry for their children and family but they always look on the bright side. Lydia Sum’s portrayal of “shi-nai” characters successfully delivered to viewers the sense of warmth of a strict but loving mother. 3 Film costume 1987 Lydia Sum’s costume in the film It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad World. 5. Shanghai Woman In the post-war period, Shanghainese migrants not only brought capital with them to set up factories and businesses, but also Shanghainese restaurants, barber shops, nightclubs and bathhouses, all of which mushroomed in Hong Kong. As the local elite group, the Shanghainese also symbolised advancement and high fashion. With ancestral home in Ningbo, Sum was born and raised in Shanghai. When Lydia moved to Hong Kong, she settled in North Point with her family, a district also known as “Little Shanghai”. The “Shanghainese” label seems to have stuck with Sum ever since. Lydia played a woman who ironed clothes in Shanghai alongside other actors in the famous Cantonese film The House of 72 Tenants (1973). The realistic portrayals resonated with the general public. In 1979, Lydia played the leading role in Shanghai Woman, a comedy sketch aired on TVB’s EYT. The comic segment enjoyed huge popularity for its depiction of the ethnical characteristics of the Shanghainese and the real social life in Hong Kong in the 1970s. Sum’s outstanding acting won her yet another role as a Shanghai woman who lived in a public housing estate in the film It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad World (1987). The depiction of the “Shanghai woman” was one of the many images which had become synonymous with Lydia in the public’s eyes and it was also integral to her acting career. While dialectal identities have blurred and the post-war “Shanghainese” lifestyle has faded, Sum’s Shanghai woman image, just like the landmark of a city, still endures in people’s hearts. Whenever the “Shanghai woman” is mentioned, the first association people make is usually with the rapid-fire chatterbox Lydia Sum. 6. Champion Mistress of Ceremonies Lydia Sum was signed to TVB in 1967. She became a hostess for the variety show EYT and conducted interviews with famous icons such as martial arts superstar Bruce Lee, beloved 4 pop idol Connie Chan Po-chu and crown winner of the Hong Kong Princess Beauty Pageant Louise Lee.